Is this really the best we can do?

So what can Mr. Dix promise us? If history is any indication, labour unrest and fiscal mismanagement are very real possibilities.

Frankly, I think labour unrest is long overdue. You don't have to be a Marxist to wonder why labour hasn't risen up and dragged a number of CEOs to the guillotine. While many in the private sector have seen wage freezes and rollbacks, jobs outsourced, unpaid overtime as an expected norm and a shrinking standard of living, they've also seen overall CEO — compliments of compliant boards — compensation go up by 40-50-60 per cent year-over-year and more. There is no excuse in a just society, even a just capitalist society, for this inequality.

Fiscal mismanagement seems to be the hallmark of virtually every government. I'm not sure the NDP's version will be markedly different from the Liberal's, although the victims may change identities for a brief spell.

And frankly, I wish Mr. Dix would issue a moratorium against fracking until such time as it can be proven safe. While I believe the homo sapiens experiment will end in environmental disaster and ultimate collapse, I'd like to put it off until after I'm gone. Just call me greedy.